Lower-fat Banana Bread with Wild Blueberries and Walnuts
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Author: Renée S. Status: published Published: Aug 02,2009 license cc-by-nc-nd tags: healthy, breakfast, banana, recipe, bread, From Renée's Kitchen, recipes, baked goods, blueberries, banana bread,
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Share on TwitterI can't think of any better way that to wake up to hearty slices of fresh banana bread. It could only get better when there are wild blueberries (I love Trader Joe's) and walnut pieces.
A reprise of my tried and true base recipe taken from the "Best Light Recipe."
Banana Bread
adapted from the Editors of Cook’s Illustrated The Best Light Recipes
Makes one 9-inch loaf
INGREDIENTS
Non-stick baking spray
1 1/2 cups unbleached all-purpose flour, plus more for dusting the pan
1/2 cup cake flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
3/4 cup sugar
3 very ripe, soft, darkly speckled large bananas, mashed well (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup plain low-fat yogurt
1 teaspoon vanilla extract
3 tablespoons unsalted butter, softened
2 large eggs
1/3 cup dried wild blueberries
1/4 cups walnuts, chopped coarse (for topping)
METHOD
1. Adjust an oven rack to the lower-middle position and heat the oven to 350°F (175°C) degrees. Spray the bottom and sides of a 9 by 5-inch loaf pan; dust with flour, tapping out the excess.
2. Whisk the flours, 1/4 cup sugar, baking soda, salt, and blueberries together in a medium bowl; set aside.
3. Mix the mashed bananas, yogurt, and vanilla together in a separate bowl; set aside.
4. Beat the remaining 1/2 cup sugar and butter together on medium-high speed until light and fluffy (3-5 min), scraping down the sides of the bowl as needed. Add the eggs, one at a time beating well after each addition.
5. With mixer speed to low, beat in half the flour mixture until just incorporated followed by 1/3 of the banana mixture, repeat the alternation until every thing is mixed. Do not over mix the batter. Batter should be just combined and look thick and chunky.
6. Scrape the batter into the prepared loaf pan and sprinkle the top evenly with the walnuts.
7. Bake until the loaf is golden brown and a toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean, about 55 minutes. Cool in the pan for 10 minutes, then transfer to a wire rack. Serve warm or at room temperature. (The bread can be wrapped with plastic wrap and stored at room temperature for up to 3 days.)
